Japanese Politician Charged in Payoffs Gets Light Fine

By T. R. Reid
The Washington Post

TOKYO

Prosecutors formally accepted a controversial plea bargain Monday that
allowed Japan's most powerful politician to get off with a misdemeanor plea
and a minor fine for taking $4 million in illegal contributions, one of the
biggest illicit payoffs in Japan's long history of political corruption.

The prosecutors showed so much deference to Shin Kanemaru, 78, the chief
kingmaker of Japan's dominant Liberal-Democratic Party, that they did not
even make him come to court for questioning. Instead, Kanemaru dispatched a
written confession from his Tokyo home, where a number of junior
politicians have come in recent days to express their continued loyalty.

The press and the public have been less respectful, however. The
prosecutors' decision to close the case with the payment of a $1,600 fine
has prompted angry editorials and street protests. Critics have noted that
the amount Kanemaru must pay is no more than the fine for overnight parking
in some crowded Tokyo neighborhoods.

One protester splashed yellow paint on the wall outside the public
prosecutor's building here. The paint-thrower was immediately jailed
without bail and charged with defacing property -- a crime that carries
fines 50 percent higher than what Kanemaru will pay.

In light of the controversy, prosecutors took the unusual step of giving an
interview to The Washington Post to explain their action.

"We used all the legal authority we have," said Deputy Prosecutor Takeo
Takahashi. "We gave him the maximum fine authorized by law for failing to
report a contribution."

The prosecutors, who appeared to believe they would be admired for taking
any criminal action at all against a man with Kanemaru's power, clearly
were stunned by the sharp criticism of the plea bargain.

Kanemaru, a gruff but charming member of the national Diet, or parliament,
is the biggest fish caught so far in the expanding net of Japan's latest
political scandal, the Sagawa Kyubin case.

Officials of Sagawa, an express delivery firm that has been linked to the
mob, reportedly dished out large helpings of cash, far in excess of legal
contribution limits, to top figures in the dominant party and several in
opposition parties as well.

News leaks, evidently from prosecutors, suggest that the Sagawa case could
become the biggest payoff scandal ever in a political system that seems to
hatch a major new scandal every year. The Sagawa case involved such huge
sums that just handing over the cash became problematic; Kanemaru's $4
million reportedly was delivered to him in a grocery cart jammed full of
10,000-yen bills.

Moreover, Sagawa officials evidently helped bring Kanemaru and other top
politicians together with leaders of Japan's yakuza, the organized crime
syndicates.

Untouched so far by the Sagawa case is Liberal-Democratic Prime Minister
Kiichi Miyazawa. Although Kanemaru has served as his political patron and
chief supporter within the party, Miyazawa has kept silent on the case and
has conspicuously declined to join the politicians publicly rushing to
Kanemaru's defense. With several other top Liberal-Democratic officials
reportedly suspected of taking money from Sagawa Kyubin, the current case
could actually help Miyazawa by tainting some of his competitors within the
party ranks.

But the new scandal could undermine Miyazawa's power in the Diet.
Opposition parties have proven skillful at focusing on scandal revelations
to stall action on the Liberal-Democratic Party's legislative goals.

There is no evidence that Kanemaru used the secret $4 million contribution
for his own gain. Instead, he parceled the money out to younger members of
his party faction to be used for their re-election campaigns.

Eight members of the Liberal-Democratic Party took part in a long
discussion of the case with this correspondent over the weekend. All but
one portrayed Kanemaru as a decent man who was just trying to get by in a
political system that requires huge amounts of money.

"He provides campaign funds to his faction members," said Diet member
Shigeru Ishiba. "And without that money, you can't get re-elected."

Because prosecutors let him plead guilty without interrogation, Kanemaru
will not have to face official questions about his alleged dealings with
the mob.